LiDAR 1m DTM Hillshade
Satellite Imagery
LiDAR 1m DTM Hillshade
Satellite Imagery
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HER: Clwyd Powys 102311 (None)
NMR: SJ 16 SE (306899)
SM: FL010
NGR: SJ145660
X: 314522 Y: 366038 (OSGB36)
Fine contour hillfort located in very commanding position on high and prominent spur of Ordovician rocks of Clwydian Range near Nannerch and above the Vale of Clwyd to W. Very steep surrounding slopes to S and W, steep to E and moderate to steep to N. Sub-circular measuring c. 160m N-S by 140m with internal area c. 2ha. Defined by single, low, terraced rampart on the very steep E, S and SW sides, with very prominent quarry ditch behind which extends around the circuit. No outer ditch visible. On the less steep NE side are two strong ramparts and ditches, with the outer higher, and constructed before the inner. Interesting inturned NE-facing entrance, using the edge of steep slopes and forming an oblique approach, the inturns curved in claw-like fashion with guard chambers. The heather clad interior has a domed summit, with broad terrace behind the N and E sides, and hut platforms visible after a 1938 burn, but recent survey found only two or three platforms clustered around the entrance. Dug into by Rev. W. Wynne Ffoulkes 1849, finding coarse red pottery in an area of building platforms to N, flints and corroded iron. Pottery thought to be 'Roman', but old finds and unproven. Two strange dry-stone 'pieces', largest over 4m long and 2m thick found in quarry terrace S of entrance, with ashes and flint fragments in soils around, but long destroyed, and a possible votive significance has been suggested (Brown 2004, 73). Hoard of Bronze Age bronze Irish flat axes found in S part of the enclosure Brown, 2004, 52). Clearly intervisible with Penycloddiau (Atlas No.1155). Hillfort constituent part of the Heather and Hillforts Landscape Partnership Scheme, funded by the Heritage Lottery fund of Denbighshire County Council 2006-2011, included topographical and other surveys, interpretation and visitor management works. Heather moorland covers site. Within Moel Famau Country Park managed by Denbighshire County Council. On 1st Ed. OS map (1872-74). 1156 WA Flintshire SJ145660 314520 366039 53.18640 -3.28060 314520 366039 SJ1452066039 53.184553 -3.2806322 0.00185 0.00003
Citizen Science: ✗
Reliability of Data: Confirmed
Reliability of Interpretation: Confirmed
X: -365199 Y: 7017205 (EPSG: 3857)
Longitude: -3.280635604758494 Latitude: 53.18453211516449 (EPSG:4326)
Country: Wales; None
Current County or Unitary Authority: Flintshire; Denbighshire
Historic County: Flintshire; Denbighshire
Current Parish/Community/Council/Townland: Nannerch; Llandwrnog
Survives well under well-managed Denbighshire County Council Moel Famau Country Park. Outer bank on SW surmounted by a field wall. Interpretation and visitor management works. Offas's Dyke Path part surrounds the site.
| Extant | ✓ |
| Cropmark | ✗ |
| Likely Destroyed | ✗ |
Heather moorland covers site. SSSI. Later quarrying.
| Woodland | ✗ |
| Commercial Forestry Plantation | ✗ |
| Parkland | ✗ |
| Pasture (Grazing) | ✗ |
| Arable | ✗ |
| Scrub/Bracken | ✗ |
| Bare Outcrop | ✗ |
| Heather/Moorland | ✓ |
| Heath | ✗ |
| Built-up | ✗ |
| Coastal Grassland | ✗ |
| Other | ✓ |
Fine contour hillfort located on high and prominent spur of Ordovician rocks of Clwydian Range above the Vale of Clwyd to W. Very commanding position. Very steep surrounding slopes to S, W, steep to E and moderate to steep to N.
| Contour Fort | ✓ |
| Partial Contour Fort | ✗ |
| Promontory Fort | ✗ |
| Hillslope Fort | ✗ |
| Level Terrain Fort | ✗ |
| Marsh Fort | ✗ |
| Multiple Enclosure Fort | ✗ |
| Hilltop | ✓ |
| Coastal Promontory | ✗ |
| Inland Promontory | ✗ |
| Valley Bottom | ✗ |
| Knoll/Hillock/Outcrop | ✗ |
| Ridge | ✗ |
| Cliff/Plateau-edge/Scarp | ✗ |
| Hillslope | ✗ |
| Lowland | ✗ |
| Spur | ✗ |
Dominant Topographic Feature: Hill top
| North | ✗ |
| Northeast | ✗ |
| East | ✗ |
| Southeast | ✗ |
| South | ✗ |
| Southwest | ✗ |
| West | ✗ |
| Northwest | ✗ |
| Level | ✓ |
Altitude: 456.0m
Boundary Type: County
Probable Bronze Age origins. Coarse red pottery thought 'Roman', but from 1840's digging and unproven.
Reliability: D - None
| Pre 1200BC | ✗ |
| 1200BC - 800BC | ✗ |
| 800BC - 400BC | ✗ |
| 400BC - AD50 | ✗ |
| AD50 - AD400 | ✗ |
| AD400 - AD 800 | ✗ |
| Post AD800 | ✗ |
| Unknown | ✓ |
| Pre Hillfort: | Mesolithic worked flint found in vicinity. Hoard of Bronze Age bronze Irish flat axes found in S part of enclosure. Possible Bronze Age barrow in interior. |
| Post Hillfort: | Later quarrying within and outside the ramparts. |
| Artefactual: | Possible Roman pottery, but from 1840's digging and unproven. |
On 1st Ed. OS map (1872-74). Small diggings by Rev W. Wynne Ffoulkes 1849. Hillfort part of the Heather and Hillforts Landscape Partnership Scheme, funded by the Heritage Lottery fund of Denbighshire County Council 2006-2011, included topographical and other surveys, interpretation and visitor management works. Community excavation on nearby slopes below hillfort c. 2013 on-going.
| Excavation (1849): | Rev W. Wynne Ffoulkes. |
| Other (1977): | Visit by Hillfort Study Group |
| Other (2012): | Visited by Hillfort Study Group |
| 1st Identified Map Depiction (None): | OS map. |
| Other (None): | Heather and Hillforts Landscape Partnership Scheme. |
| Excavation (None): | Community excavation on nearby slopes. |
Strange dry-stone feature found in quarry terrace S of entrance, but long destroyed. Hoard of Bronze Age bronze Irish flat axes found. Coarse red pottery in an area of building platforms to N. Flints and corroded iron. Prominent quarry ditch around circuit.
Stream 0.4km outside fort.
| None | ✓ |
| Spring | ✗ |
| Stream | ✗ |
| Pool | ✗ |
| Flush | ✗ |
| Well | ✗ |
| Other | ✗ |
Hut platforms visible after 1938 heather burn. Prominent quarry ditch around circuit.
| No Known Features | ✗ |
| Round Stone Structures | ✗ |
| Rectangular Stone Structures | ✗ |
| Curvilinear Platforms | ✓ |
| Other Roundhouse Evidence | ✗ |
| Pits | ✗ |
| Quarry Hollows | ✓ |
| Other | ✗ |
Strange dry-stone feature found in quarry terrace S of entrance, but long destroyed.
| No Known Excavation | ✗ |
| Pits | ✗ |
| Postholes | ✗ |
| Roundhouses | ✗ |
| Rectangular Structures | ✗ |
| Roads/Tracks | ✗ |
| Quarry Hollows | ✗ |
| Other | ✓ |
| Nothing Found | ✗ |
None
| No Known Geophysics | ✓ |
| Pits | ✗ |
| Roundhouses | ✗ |
| Rectangular Structures | ✗ |
| Roads/Tracks | ✗ |
| Quarry Hollows | ✗ |
| Other | ✗ |
| Nothing Found | ✗ |
Coarse red pottery in an area of building platforms to N. Flints and corroded iron. Hoard of Bronze Age bronze Irish flat axes found in S part of enclosure.
| No Known Finds | ✗ |
| Pottery | ✓ |
| Metal | ✗ |
| Metalworking | ✗ |
| Human Bones | ✗ |
| Animal Bones | ✗ |
| Lithics | ✓ |
| Environmental | ✗ |
| Other | ✗ |
None
| APs Not Checked | ✓ |
| None | ✗ |
| Roundhouses | ✗ |
| Rectangular Structures | ✗ |
| Pits | ✗ |
| Postholes | ✗ |
| Roads/Tracks | ✗ |
| Other | ✗ |
Interesting inturned NE-facing entrance, using the edge of steep slopes and forming an oblique approach, the inturns curved in claw-like fashion with guard chambers.
| 1: | None |
| 2: | None |
Guard Chambers: ✓
Chevaux de Frise: ✗
| 1. In-turned (North east): | Oblique approach. |
| 1. Oblique (North east): | Oblique approach. |
| 1. Recesses/Guard Chambers (None): | None |
Defined by single terraced rampart on the very steep E, S and SW sides, with very prominent quarry scarp behind looking much like a second inner rampart. On the less steep N side are two strong ramparts and ditches, outer constructed before inner.
| Area 1: | 2.0ha. |
| Total: | 2.0ha. |
Total Footprint Area: Noneha.
None
| ✓ | Outer bank constructed before the inner. |
| ✓ | None |
| NE Quadrant: | 2 |
| SE Quadrant: | 1 |
| SW Quadrant: | 1 |
| NW Quadrant: | 2 |
| Total: | 2 |
| Partial Univallate | ✓ |
| Univallate | ✗ |
| Partial Bivallate | ✓ |
| Bivallate | ✗ |
| Partial Multivallate | ✗ |
| Multivallate | ✗ |
| Unknown | ✗ |
| Partial Univallate | ✓ |
| Univallate | ✗ |
| Partial Bivallate | ✗ |
| Bivallate | ✗ |
| Partial Multivallate | ✗ |
| Multivallate | ✗ |
Probable stone wall or rubble bank.
| None | ✗ |
| Earthen Bank | ✗ |
| Stone Wall | ✓ |
| Rubble | ✓ |
| Wall-walk | ✗ |
| Evidence of Timber | ✗ |
| Vitrification | ✗ |
| Other Burning | ✗ |
| Palisade | ✗ |
| Counter Scarp Bank | ✗ |
| Berm | ✗ |
| Unfinished | ✗ |
| Other | ✗ |
None
| None | ✓ |
| Earthen Bank | ✗ |
| Stone Wall | ✗ |
| Murus Duplex | ✗ |
| Timber-framed | ✗ |
| Timber-laced | ✗ |
| Vitrification | ✗ |
| Other Burning | ✗ |
| Palisade | ✗ |
| Counter Scarp Bank | ✗ |
| Berm | ✗ |
| Unfinished | ✗ |
| No Known Excavation | ✗ |
| Other | ✗ |
| ✗ | None |
| ✓ | Ditches only on NE side. |
Number of Ditches: 2
| ✗ | None |
Brown, I. 2004. Discovering a Welsh landscape. Archaeology in the Clwydian Range, Bollington: Windgather Press, 52, 73.
Brown, I. 2009. Beacons in the landscape. The hillforts of England and Wales, Oxford: Windgather Press/Oxbow Books.
Burnham, H. 1995. A guide to ancient and historic Wales - Clwyd and Powys, London: HMSO, 59.
Davies, Canon Ellis 1949. Prehistoric and Roman remains of Flintshire, Cardiff: William Lewis, 267-70.
Driver,T. 2011. The Hillforts, In ed Mrowiec, H., Heather and Hillforts of the Clwydian Range and Llantysilio Mountains, Ruthin: Heather and Hillforts Partnership Board, Denbighshire County Council.
Forde-Johnston, J. 1964. A hoard of flat axes from Moel Arthur, J Flintshire Hist Soc, 21, 99-100.
Wynne Ffloukes, Re. W. 1850. Castra Clwydiana No. II. Moel Gaer, Part of Moel Fama, Arch Camb, New Series, I, 174-87.
Atlas of Hillforts:
Wikidata:
This work is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0
and should be cited as:
Lock, Gary and Ralston, Ian. 2024. Atlas of Hillforts of Britain and Ireland. Available at: https://hillforts.arch.ox.ac.uk
Document Version 1.1